AUTHOR=Zakaria Norashikin , Satar Nazilah Abdul , Abu Halim Noor Hanis , Ngalim Siti Hawa , Yusoff Narazah Mohd , Lin Juntang , Yahaya Badrul Hisham TITLE=Targeting Lung Cancer Stem Cells: Research and Clinical Impacts JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology VOLUME=7 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2017.00080 DOI=10.3389/fonc.2017.00080 ISSN=2234-943X ABSTRACT=

Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, accounting for 1.8 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths in 2012. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which is one of two types of lung cancer, accounts for 85–90% of all lung cancers. Despite advances in therapy, lung cancer still remains a leading cause of death. Cancer relapse and dissemination after treatment indicates the existence of a niche of cancer cells that are not fully eradicated by current therapies. These chemoresistant populations of cancer cells are called cancer stem cells (CSCs) because they possess the self-renewal and differentiation capabilities similar to those of normal stem cells. Targeting the niche of CSCs in combination with chemotherapy might provide a promising strategy to eradicate these cells. Thus, understanding the characteristics of CSCs has become a focus of studies of NSCLC therapies.